Switch-operating mechanism



(No Model.)

J. D. STANWGOD.

SWITCH OPERATING. MEGHANISM.

Patented May 6, 1884.

VIO

NITED "STATES PATENT Critics.

JAMES 1). SrANWooD, or BOSTON, MASSAcHnsErrS.

SWITCH-'OPERATING- MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 298,036, dated May 6,1884. 4

i Application filed April :28, 1883. V(No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be itknown that I, J AMES D. STANwooD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch-OperatingMechan-V ism; and I do hereby declare that the same are fully describedin the following specification and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

The object of this invention is Ato provide for shifting the switchpoint or tongue of a railroad-track by means of devices at and below thesurface operated from the platform of the approaching car.

My invention embraces a horizontally-sliding bar placed beneath thesurface transverse to the track, and connected to the switchtongue, incombination with vertically-sliding pins connected to said bar, so as toactuate it and the switch-tongue, when either of said vertical pins isdepressed. This mechanism is worked by the driver depressing a treadle,which carries a wheel arranged to strike the upper end of one of thevertical pins before the car-,wheels reach the switch.

My invention consists inv the devices and combinations of devices setforth in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of one end of astreet-car with treadle and roller or truck connected to its platform,showing also the devices located at the switch, and serving to actuatethe switch-tongue when said roller is depressed. Fig. 2 is a plan of thetrack, showing the location of the parts in use. Fig. 3 shows anelevation of the shitting-levers, with part of the casing broken away;and Fig. 4. is a modification of the treadle.

I provide a case, A, arranged crosswise of and between the tracks, atthe point where the switch is located. This case, placed with its uppersurface level with the ground, and forming a part of the road-bed,contains the apparatus by which the switch-tongue is vibrated to rightor left when the driver of the approachingcar depresses the rollerwhichl actuates it. This case is open at the bottom, to permit water anddirt to escape, but its ends, sides, and top prevent injury to thelevers from outward pressure or the passing of vehicles, and the topforms apart of the pavement or road-bed, thus rendering it unnecessaryto dig out, wall up, and cover over a large cavityfor theA switchmechanism, as is necessary with the tilting platform heretofore used.These cases lie between the tracks, and are of no greater width than asingle row of pavingblocks. They will be of uniform size, and thusinterchangeable; and when repairs are necessary a case containing allthe parts required'to operate the switch-tongue can beA substituted forthe imperfect one in a minute or two without removing any tracks ordelaying travel. Being of so small area and open at the bottom, they arefar cheaper than former devices, and do not, like them, become cloggedby accumulations of mud and water, norconstitute a trap by necessitatinga large cavity beneath the roadway, bridged by a broad metal plateliable to be broken through in frosty weather.

At one end of the case A projects a bar, B,

to be described. This bar connects at its end with the pivotedswitch-tongue C, so as to swing the free end of the tongue horizontallyas far as it is needful to connect it with the straight and thedivergent tracks, that it may direct a carV upon either one as desired.

The bar B and switch-tongue C are moved horizontally by the verticalmovement of two pins, D D, which project through and slightly above thetop of the case, A in the path of a roller vcarried beneath thecar-platform, as

-will be described. These pins are the only movable 'parts of myapparatus for shifting the switch which are exposed in the street; andas they move freely downward out of the way when struck by a wheel orfoot, they form no obstruction in the highway, and are not liable toinjure vehicles or to get out of order. When mostdepressed, they are ushwith the top of the case A, and at other times are raised above it; andhence water does not tend to enter through vthe apertures in which thepins move. The location of theseapertures in the casing and between thetracks also tends to exclude water,as compared with lsome formermachanism beneath the tracks with apertures in the line of the tracks.

Figs. l and 3 will make clear the arrangenlent of levers which I havedevised to communicate the movement of the pins D D to the bar B andswitch-tongue C. The pins D D pass loosely through the rm top plate ofthe case A, and are loosely pivoted at their lower ends, each to theouter end of an elbowlever, E, pivoted at its center to the easing. Theinner ends of the lever E are connected by pivots to a horizontal bar,F, which ispivoted to a vertical bar, G, at their crossing point. Thebar G is pivoted at its lower end to the ease A, and its upper endcarries with it, when vibrated,'the horizontal bar B, to give to thetongue C the slight lateral movement desired, so as to direct the ear tothe right when the right-hand treadle is depressed, or vice versa.Omitting a pivot and inserting the top ot' the bar G in a recess betweentwo shoulders of the horizontal bar Bprevents lifting the switch-tongue,or binding orcramping in the operaton of the device.

The pins D D are depressed by apparatus attached to the car and operatedby the driver; and in order that the switch may be thrown either toright or left, so as to turn the caron to a side or branch traek,orcontinueit on the main track,as desired, there is placed at each side ofthe drivers stand a treadle, T, adapted to depress a roller, R, so thatit shall roll over one of the pinsD and move it downward through the topplate of its casing A, to actuate the switch-tongue, as alreadydescribed. rlhe simplest method of mountingl` such roller and trcadle isshown in Fig. 4, in which the roller-bearings are in a directprolongation of the stein of the treadle, which is supported by abracket and kept in true position by a square shank. The roller israised by aspring, S, when the foot is removed from the treadle.

In order to give more elasticity to the treadle apparatus, I havedevised the mechanism shown in Fig. l. A chain or rope, L, secured tothe lower end of the treadle-rod passes over a grooved wheel, M, andaround a similar wheel, N, to which its end is made fast. An arm, O,projecting rigidly from the wheel N forms one member of a toggle-joint,the other member, Q, carrying it at its extremity the roller It,supported for use by the pivoted bar U and retracted by the spring S.These wheels and levers are mounted in suitable brackets. NVhen thetreadle is depressed, the wheel N is partially rotated, and the roller Ris forced down to the position shown in dotted lines, where it is inreadiness to easily and quietly move the switch-tongue when reached.This roller rides over the pavement readily without injury, if depressedbefore the switch is reached, and no shock or jar is felt in the ear atsuch times or when acting on the pins D D.

'I am aware that tilting platforms operated by the weight of the horseshave heretofore been used to shift the switch-point, and thatspringswitches and others operated by the supporting-wheels of the carhave been described; also, that pivoted levers placed crosswise of along bed-plate lying parallel to the track have been proposed, with atreadle-pin from the car to strike said levers sidewise, and alongexposed bar parallel to the track to operate the switch-point. These Ido not claim; but

I claim as my invention* 1. The narrow easing A, extending transverselyfrom track to track, made open at the bottom for the escape of dirt andwater, and having a top plate forming between the tracks a fixed part ofthe roadway, in combination with vertical pins D D, protruding throughand above such top plate, to be alternately dc-v pressed by thetreadles, and with a horizontally-sliding bar actuated by said pins andextending from the end of said casing to engage with and shift theswitch-tongue, substantially as set forth.

2. The elbow-levers E E, pivoted centrally to the ease, at their outerends to the vertical pins D D, and at their inner ends to the horizontallever F, in combination with the vertical bar G, pivoted centrally tothe lever F, and at its lower end to the ease, and connected with thebar B byinsertion between shoulders thereon, so as without binding toshift the switch to the right or to the left, according as the right orthe left hand treadleis depressed, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereto aixmy signature in presence of twowitnesses.

JAMES D. STANWOOD. XVitnesses:

A. H. SPENCER, E. A. PHnLrs.

